About Me

I am a Bicolano by birth and choice. By any standards, I am a slow runner but I like it that way. I look at running as a healthy and exciting way to make a difference. Together with my fellow runners from our family, school, office and the community, we use running to give back..

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March 23, 2013

ADIDAS ENERGY BOOST: I Feel the Need to Run Fast

First time I
read about the new running shoe of Adidas, I was intrigued. This was the shoe review section of the March
2013 issue of the Runner’s World magazine. The Adidas Energy Boost is touted as a “game changer” in midsole
technology.

How?
Instead of using layers of traditional ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, adidas
developed a new midsole material made from tiny balls of thermoplastic
polyurethane (TPU) fused together with steam. This is courtesy of the
groundbreaking process created by adidas partner BASF, the world’s leading
chemical company. Tests conducted by the adidas Innovation Team show that the highly
durable material found only in Energy Boost products provides the highest
energy return in the running industry.

And this
claim by adidas is corroborated by tests made at Runner’s World Shoe Lab.
The tests measured how much a shoe springs back – that is, how much of the
energy from footstrike is returned on the rebound. The Adidas performed better
than any of the almost 800 other shoes tested.

I was intrigued
and I was hooked. There wasn’t a
question of whether I would buy one or
not. I would definitely get one.My feet were crying for something
revolutionary. The question is how do I get my hands on a pair.Would I be waiting for a few more months
after its debut in Europe or America before we here in the Philippines get to
enjoy them?

Fortunately for
all runners everywhere, Adidas had a global launch date for the Energy
Boost. The date was February 27. A couple weeks before that date, interested
runners could make a reservation via http://www.adidasboost.com/). I of course took this route and well, when I
logged in, I was informed that I was buyer no. 53 (with only 100 pairs
available for the Philippine market on that launch date).

I felt good
about this development and looked forward to the February 27 global
launch. Lunch time of that date, I
motored to the newly-opened Adidas store in Bonifacio High Street and got and
paid for my pair of the Energy Boost.
The new running shoes looked different than the other adidas shoes. It looked all business in its black color. And this was apparent to those present in the
store. That is why, I could overhear a
handful, who obviously did not reserve, words of regret and “sayang.”

I felt good wearing my pair of Adidas Energy Boost
despite it being pricey.I felt great
running with it in my easy runs.It had
a better feel than my Saucony Kinvara 3, which was erstwhile favorite for easy
and recovery runs. The Energy Boost (9.5
oz) felt as light as the Kinvara 3 (7.7 oz) and yet its cushioning seemed more
luxurious. Running with the Energy Boost
made me want to run fast which I did for 5kms and then for 10 kms.

Whatever
happens, congratulations are in order for the people behind the Adidas Energy
Boost.It already garnered a BEST
RUNNERS DEBUT citation from the influential Runner’s World. More importantly
for me, it revived in me the need to run fast.